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Chakras (Easternbody) PDF
Chakras (Easternbody) PDF
Each of the chakras has "basic rights," "identities," and "demons" associated with it.
Basic rights are defined as the basic inalienable right associated with each chakra. Loss of these rights
blocks the chakra. Reclaiming these rights is a necessary part of healing the chakra.
Identities: If our rights remain intact, or if we have managed to reclaim them, then we have a good
chance at embracing our seven basic chakra identities, each of which builds upon the one below in an
ever expanding pattern of larger systems.
The identities can be seen as metaphoric layers of clothing, as ways to cover the essential soul
underneath. It is not a problem to have clothing‐‐we need different outfits for different occasions. It
is a problem if we think the clothing is who we actually are, and never remove it.
When we are so immersed in these identities that we confuse them with the underlying Self, then we
have gotten stuck at a particular level. We have confused the clothing for the body itself‐‐unwilling to
remove it, scared to expose the nakedness underneath. If, on the other hand, we cannot identify at all
with a level, then we know we have some work to do there.
The chakra identities can be positive or negative, liberating or imprisoning. They are simultane‐ously
real and false. They are real in that they are real parts, yet they are false because they are not the
whole.
Demons: Each of the Chakras has what I have come to call a specific demon that interferes with its
health and undermines its identity. I use the word demon not to denote some kind of evil creature,
but as a way of naming the counterforce that seemingly opposes the natural activity of the chakra.
The reason I say seemingly is that the demons arise to teach us something. A counterforce usually
results in strengthening whatever it opposes. The presence of the demon keeps the chakra from doing
its job, but that challenge also forces us to bring more awareness to that job, so eventually we can do
it better.
When unacknowledged, the demons keep us from moving forward. They fixate our energy at a
particular chakra level, short circuiting our activities and expression, blocking resolution. If we
acknowledge the demon and explore its reason for being there, we gain a deeper understanding of
ourselves. To acknowledge that we have fear, for example, enables us to face that fear and
understand its origins, eventually making us more confident. To acknowledge grief enables healing,
and allows the heart to lighten.